His Little Snow Angel
by angelrose2001
Summary: Sometimes, if mixed with a little magic, a desire can be so strong and pure that it comes true. Flee only wanted to see her brother one last time. Warning: Slow Updates
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I know I'm supposed to be working on Water Drops, and I'm really sorry it's taken so long to update, but inspiration struck and I just had to start writing this. I noticed that not many people have written stories like this, so I thought I would add mine to the bunch. I would like to apologize in advance for my inability to write Bunny's accent. I hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything, it all belongs to Dreamworks.**

Flee looked out the window blankly, immersed in her own thoughts. It had been a year since her brother had died, but the pain of loss was as strong as the moment he went through the ice. Christmas was the next day, but that would not bring her any comfort. It would be their first Christmas without Jack, and the thought weighed heavily on the hearts of the small, broken family. Jack had always been their ray of sunshine, the one who could bring a smile to their faces no matter the circumstances. Without him, it almost felt wrong to smile and have fun.

The young girl sighed as she watched the delicate snowflakes fall peacefully, as if they were unaware of the great loss that had befallen the world only a year before. Flee allowed a small smile to grace her face at the memory of her brother laughing and running through the snow, not a care in the world aside from making people smile.

"Flee, honey, it's getting late. You'd better go to bed so Santa can come," Mrs. Overland said, forcing a smile on her face and trying to sound excited for her daughter as she walked into the room.

Catherine Overland had been devastated when she found out her only son had drowned and she had never fully gotten over the loss. After her husband had been taken by pneumonia, Jack had been the one to lift the family up and take some of the weight off of her shoulders. He took over his father's job as a shepherd to make sure they always had food on the table and her helped look after his sister, making sure she was happy and full of hope. He told her stories of the Guardians of Childhood, making sure she took care of her teeth and helping her find every Easter egg. But most importantly, he kept them all believing that things would get better and helping them find something to smile about. When he passed, she felt the weight of the world fall on her shoulders once again, adding to the weight of her grief. They were able to scrape by with her washing clothes around the village and watching over the village children. Even so, she often felt as though things would never get better and that she would never truly smile again. She loved her daughter, but Flee had closed herself off from the world, trapped in her own realm of guilt and despair. The most they could ever do was lend each other their strength.

"Okay, Mom," Flee said, pulling away from her thoughts.

Flee quickly prepared for bed, and after bidding her mother goodnight, she headed to bed. She noted not for the first time how empty and cold the bed seemed without her brother lying right beside her. With tears gathering in her eyes, she allowed herself to be pulled into the realm of dreams as golden sand swirled around her head, taking the shape of a young boy and girl playing in the snow.

* * *

The sound of hooves echoed in the night, though there was no one awake to hear it. A large man with tattoos and a long beard entered the houses silently, smiling at the thought of the joy and wonder the children would feel when they woke. He took care in leaving the best presents he could, especially for the young girl mourning her lost brother. As he left the girls house, he tripped slightly, not noticing a beautiful glass ball fall out of his coat…

* * *

The morning sun shone on the brown haired girl, pulling her from her sleep. She sat up, rubbing the Sandman's sand from her eyes. She sighed sadly, thinking of what the day would bring. She would be forced to put a smile on her face so that none of the visiting relatives would worry about her, all the while screaming internally at the unfairness of the world.

She slowly got out of her bed and got dressed, preparing herself to go downstairs and face her family. As she entered the living room, she was greeted by people that she barely knew and who treated her like glass that would shatter at any second. Still, she smiled and talked with them as they ate breakfast, before they all went to open presents, the children squealing and shouting excitedly. At least, all the children but Flee. Instead, she quietly opened her presents, thanking those who had given them to her before placing the gifts back in their boxes.

The day went by slowly, but finally their guests departed to return to their own homes. Flee sat wearily in her chair by the window, gazing out at the snow and once more losing herself in thought.

Catherine began sweeping the living room, cleaning up the crumbs and pine needles that had fallen on the floor around the Christmas tree. Leaning down to pick a loose piece of paper, she noticed something shiny on the ground under the tree. She reached underneath the tree and pulled out a glass ball with detailed patterns painted on.

"Flee, dear, I believe you missed one of your presents from Santa," the mother said as she walked over to her daughter.

Flee turned and gently took the strange looking orb from her mother. Looking at it, her thoughts wandered back to Jack. _I missed him so much today. I wish he were still here. I want that more than anything I've ever wanted before. I just want to see him one, so I could tell him how much I love him._ A single tear slid down her face as she whispered her brother's name.

"Jack."

The mysterious ball vibrated slightly, and Flee looked at it, startled. A picture of her brother formed as she stared in wonder.

"Mother," she said, standing to show her mother the magical sight before her.

However, as she kept her eyes on the picture of her brother, she tripped, causing her to release the glass ball. The glass shattered and formed a portal of swirling colors. She heard her mother gasp but paid it no mind as she stood and walked toward the portal. She distantly heard her mother scream, "Flee, no!" but she continued anyway. The young girl felt her mother's hand grab her shoulder just as she stepped through, her vision becoming merely a swirl of colors. She suddenly felt the ground meet her knees and heard her mother land behind her. She tried to stand but froze when she heard a familiar voice.

"Flee? Mom?"

Flee slowly turned her head, meeting the eyes of her dead brother.

* * *

The Guardians were just sitting down to have their monthly meeting when a portal suddenly opened beside them.

"What's going on?" Jack asked no one in particular as they turned their attention to the swirling vortex of colors.

"I have no idea," Tooth said quietly, slowing her energetic buzzing as she looked on.

Before another word could be said, two figures tumbled out of the portal. One was a young girl, looking to be nine or ten years old. The other was a woman who looked to be the girl's mother. Both had chocolate brown hair and eyes. As the girl tried to get to her feet, Jack let out a gasp, hardly daring to believe his eyes. Even so, he choked out, "Flee? Mom?"

The girl froze before slowly looking in his direction. Jack stood, ignoring the gasps coming from his fellow Guardians. The girl met his eyes, suddenly looking very close to tears. Jack was sure he looked the same. The young woman looked up after regaining her balance and gasped, a hand coming to her mouth as tears started to trickle down her face.

"Jack?" she whispered, eyes full of hope and fear.

At his nod, the woman ran to him and wrapped her arms around his skinny frame tightly, sobbing desperately. Jack hugged her back, his own tears beginning to fall.

"My precious baby, you're okay. You're okay," The mysterious woman sobbed, clinging to her son as if her life depended on it, whispering sweet nothings to reassure both the boy and herself.

"Yeah, I'm okay. How are you here?" Jack whispered back, pulling from the hug slightly to look at her face.

"I don't know, and I don't care. As long as you're here, we could be dead for all I cared."

Catherine pulled him back into the hug, never wanting to let him go. Jack returned the hug, but looked over her shoulder to the young girl still sitting on her knees, looking scared.

"Flee?" Jack called out, carefully pulling away from his mother.

The girl slowly rose, her eyes never leaving his small form.

"Jack? Is it really you?" her voice shook with emotion, clearly trying to contain her tears.

"Yeah, sweetheart. It's really me."

Jack suddenly felt the brunette run into him full force, knocking him to the ground. He laughed, holding his sister tightly as she cried into his chest. The girl suddenly started hitting his chest, though not enough to really hurt.

"You jerk! I thought you were dead! Where have you been for the last year?! I needed you!" She sobbed, finally stopping her abuse upon his torso, instead settling for squeezing the life out of him in a bone-crushing hug.

"It's a long story, baby- wait, did you say a year?" Jack asked, confused.

"Yes! It's been a whole year! Where have you been?!" Flee screamed, finally lifting her tear-stained face to look at her brother. "And why do you look so different?! What happened to your hair and eyes?!"

Jack gently picked her up and walked over to his mother, pulling her into a one armed hug.

"Like I said, it's a long story."

A cough behind them drew their attention to four very confused looking Guardians.

"I'm sure it's one we'd all like to hear, frostbite," Bunny said, sounding frustrated at not knowing what was going on.

Flee's eyes widened and she looked to her brother.

"Are those the Guardians?" she whispered.

Jack simply smiled and nodded, watching her face transform into one of amazement. Catherine's face mirrored her daughter's as she looked from Jack to the Guardians and back again.

"Guys, this is my sister, Flee, and this is my mother, Catherine," Jack stated as he led his mother and carried his sister over to the table.

The Guardians looked amazed and confused at the same time, before Tooth suddenly squealed and pulled Flee's mouth open.

"Oh, my gosh! Her teeth are just as white as yours, Jack!"

Jack laughed as his sister got a very confused and slightly frightened look on her face.

"Flee, this is the Tooth Fairy, or just Tooth," Jack introduced her, smiling at the wonder painted on his sister's face.

He then pointed to the other Guardians as he introduced them.

"This is Santa Clause, but we call him North. That's the Sandman, or Sandy for short. And that's the Easter Bunny, or just Bunny."

Jack sat down at the table along with his mother, still holding his sister.

"Well, I guess I should start with the day I fell in the lake."

 **That's it for the first chapter. I hope you guys like it so far. As usual, please no cursing in the comments and constructive criticism is welcome. God bless!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, guys. First of all, I am so sorry I couldn't update sooner, but my computer broke, so I haven't been able to write anything. Second, thank you all so much for your support! Twenty-five reviews on the first chapter! I am amazed, and I am so grateful. Each review I read made my day. You are all amazing! Anyway, to apologize for taking so long, here is an extra long chapter for you! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, it belongs to Dreamworks.**

Jack's PoV:

"So, you really did die?" Flee looked ready to start sobbing all over again, and my mother looked like she was about to be sick.

"Hey, look at me. I'm fine, see?" I said gently, pushing her face up so she was looking in my eyes.

As she looked in my eyes, I could see hope and love ignite and burn brightly. She smiled softly and leaned into my chest. Her breathing began to even out, and I smiled as she fell asleep. I looked over to my mother, who also looked very tired.

"Why don't you guys stay in one of the guest rooms here and get some sleep?" I suggested, standing up.

"Alright, that sounds good." Mother said with a yawn.

I led her to an empty room next to mine and gently laid Flee on the bed, tucking her in. Mother soon joined her under the covers.  
"My room is right next door if you need me," I informed her. "I would stay in her with you, but I'm afraid I would make you really cold."

"Alright sweetheart. I'm really glad we got to see you again. I missed you so much," Mom said, sitting up and pulling me into a hug.

"I missed you, too, Mom. Goodnight. I love you," I said, reluctantly pulling out the hug.

"I love you, too, Jack."

I watched as her eyes closed and her breathing evened out. Quietly, I left the room and turned off the lights. I walked into my room, opening the window and flying out into the frigid air. The wind greeted me happily, ruffling my hair and planting cool kisses on my face.

"Hey, Wind," I greeted her, smiling in response to her excitement. I flew silently, sending out a few snowstorms to Canada before landing on the roof of Santoff Clausen.

"I missed them so much. I never imagined I would get to see them again," I confessed to wind, allowing a few tears to slide down my cheeks.

The tears left frosty trails down my face. Normally, I would not let anyone see me cry, but I had known Wind since the day I had risen out of the lake. I trusted her more than anyone, and I knew she would not think any less of me if I were to let a few tears loose. Wind swirled around me comfortingly, showing her support and happiness that I had been reunited with my family. I smiled, more tears of joy sliding down my face and leaving beautiful patterns where they touched. I stood, flying back to the window of my room and entering. I was exhausted. And who wouldn't be? After all that had happened in the last hour, I was ready to sleep for the next hundred years. After taking off my hoodie and setting my staff next to the bed, I collapsed onto the mattress and fell asleep.

Xxxxx

Flee's PoV:

When I woke up it was dark. For a moment, I was afraid that I had only dreamed seeing Jack again, but when my eyes adjusted to the darkness I saw that I was in a room I had never seen before. Mom was next to me, fast asleep. I carefully got up so as not to wake her, and I left the room as quietly as I could. I remembered waking up when Jack tucked me in and hearing him say that his room was right next door. I desperately wanted to be with him, so I silently opened the door to his room. As I walked closer to the bed, I saw him. He had taken off the weird shirt that he had been wearing, as was now wearing another weird shirt that barely had sleeves. The shepherd's crook that Dad had given him all those years ago was propped up against the wall, easily in his reach. The strange blue glow that it had had when he held it earlier was gone, the wood becoming dull and ordinary. I crept closer to the bed, afraid to wake him but also knowing I should. After all, I did not want to scare him by waking him up by crawling on the bed.

"Jack?' I whispered, almost too quiet to hear. Surprisingly, his eyes immediately opened and fixed on me. He slowly sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"What is it, Flee? Is something wrong?" He asked, worry shining from his eyes even in the dark.

"I… I wanted to be with you. I missed you so much, and I just…" I trailed off, feeling silly and childish.

However, Jack smiled and said, "You are perfectly welcome in here, sweetheart. As long as you don't mind how cold I am."

This time I smiled. "I don't mind. You're not _that_ cold."

At that, he scooted over to make room for me, and I crawled up onto the bed. Truth be told, he was rather chilly, but it was a comforting kind of cold. It made me feel safe, and it brought to mind all the fun we had had making snow angels and having snowball fights when he was alive. That thought brought a wave of sadness over me, but I pushed it back, reassuring myself that he was here now and he wasn't going anywhere. I laid down and cuddled into his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. In that moment it was like he had never left. I felt safe in his arms, and despite his cool temperature, my heart felt warmer than it had in over a year.

Xxx  
North's PoV:

After the others had left to their respective homes and jobs, I went to my office. I thought about what had happened as I made a teddy bear to give to Jack's little sister. It was obvious that the girl was a sweet and caring child, and I could easily see the love the two shared for each other. Jack's mother was clearly a caring parent who loved her two children more than anything. The relief in her eyes when she saw her son alive and well could have been seen miles away. Although they held uncertainty and confusion, her love and relief were by far the strongest emotion she had been feeling. It made me incredibly happy to see Jack so overjoyed. The poor child had spent so long alone, and so much time struggling with the fact that he had forgotten them, it was a breath of fresh air to see him feeling so free. By the time the teddy bear was finished, as my mind was on other things, it was late and time for sleep. My eyelids drooped, but I wanted to quickly check on our guests and give the bear to the girl while I was at it. However, when I opened the door to the guest room where they were supposed to be sleeping, I only saw Catherine. I decided to check Jack's room, as that would be where the girl would most likely go if she had had a nightmare. I quietly opened the door and smiled widely at the scene before me. Flee was curled up next to her big brother, who had his arms wrapped protectively around her. Both were sleeping peacefully, golden sand floating above their head forming pictures of fun and games that had occurred to far in the past. I silently made my way over to the bed, carefully placing the toy in the girl's arms. I left as silently as I had come, smiling all the way to my own bed at the image of our youngest guardian and his precious snow angel.

Xxx

Catherine's PoV:

I woke up early, as I had every morning since my husband's death. The first thing I realised was that Flee was not lying next to me. At first I was worried, as we were in a strange place and I did not want her wandering around alone and getting lost, but then I realised that she had probably gone to sleep with Jack sometime in the night. She had never been able to sleep without him right next to her, and she had gone through many sleepless and lonely nights after he fell through the ice.

I stood from the bed, and slipped on my shoes, shivering slightly from the loss of the warmth the soft blankets provided. They were easily the softest and warmest blankets I had ever felt, and I wondered how they could have been woven so well.

Pushing that thought out of my head, I opened the door and walked out into the hall. Remembering what Jack had told me the night before, I carefully opened the door to the room next door and walked inside. The sight that met me brought tears of joy to my eyes and indescribable warmth to my heart. There were my two children, curled up with each other as though it were just another morning in our small cabin. I leaned against the doorframe, watching the two most important people in the world to me sleep. I suddenly found myself studying my son and all the changes that had occurred. It was odd to see his once deep brown hair such a stunning white. It seemed to glimmer, just like the snow he now delivered to the world. It still looked as soft as it had before, but now it seemed to have an almost silky look to it. That was most likely due to the light reflecting off of it though. I focussed on his face. The structure was still the same, but his skin was so much paler. A part of me wanted to make sure he was not sick, but I reassured myself that it was only part of the changes he had undergone. I knew that instead of the brown his eyes had once been, when he opened them they would be a brilliant shade of blue.

Suddenly, I was looking into those blue eyes. I started slightly, surprised to see him awake so suddenly. He smiled, blinking sleep from his eyes and carefully sitting up.

"Hey, Mom," he whispered, and I drew closer.

"Goodmorning, sweetie," I replied. I was unsure about some of the things he said, but I figured his new speech pattern was a result of the fact that it had been over three hundred years for him.

"You hungry?" he asked, looking up at me where I stood by his bed.

"Yes, I am. We should wake your sister and have some breakfast."

Jack lightly shook his sister, smiling down at her when her eyes slowly opened.

"Hey, little lady. Are you ready to have some breakfast?"

"Yeah," she yawned. She then looked up at Jack in confusion, holding up a stuffed bear. "Where did this come from?"

Jack grinned, recognition sparking in his eyes. "Looks like North made you a present."

He got up and pulled the odd looking shirt on over his head. Must be a style of clothing from this time period. He then grabbed his staff and scooped up Flee. I watched in amazement as he suddenly lifted off the ground. Flee gave a startled yelp, and he laughed.

"You can fly?" she squealed, excitement clear in her voice.

Jack grinned and proceeded to tell her about how the wind was alive and was his oldest friend as he floated down the hallway. I walked next to him, listening intently as he glided through the maze-like hallways with practiced ease. Before I knew it, we were in a small dining room. Despite its small size, it was very elegant looking and had obviously had a lot of time and effort put into it. He set Flee down in one of the chairs and I followed, sitting down next to her. However, Jack lifted off the ground once again, assuring us he would be back with food in a few minutes. He then flew gracefully out of the room, leaving us alone. Flee and I made small talk for a while, talking about how strange and amazing all of this was, before Jack came back in, balancing three plates on his arms. He seemed wary of two of them, as they had light steam rising off of them. I could understand why he would be careful around heat, and I wondered how he was able to cook at all without getting hurt. He carefully set the steaming dishes before us and sat down across from us with his own plate of various fruits. The food he brought us was not a dish I had ever seen before, but it smelled sweet and absolutely delicious. It reminded me of the pancakes that the baker sold, but it was square shaped with square indentations across its surface. I did recognise the maple syrup and butter that was spread over it, but not the fluffy, white stuff that was placed on top.

"What are these, Jack? And why aren't you eating it?" Flee asked.

Jack smiled. "That is a common breakfast food now-a-days, they're called waffles. And I'm not eating any because I can't eat anything artificial, like the syrup. Since I'm a nature spirit, I have to eat completely natural foods," he explained before popping a strawberry into his mouth.

I carefully used my fork and knife to cut off a small piece of the sweet-smelling dish and put it into my mouth. It was amazing. I had never tasted a sweeter food, and I immediately wished I could abandon my manners and shove as much as I could into my mouth. However, I settled for smiling and complimenting Jack on his cooking. He simply smiled and continued to eat his own breakfast.

Once we finished our food, Jack stood and said, "Well, I do have a job to do. You guys are welcome to join me, or course. But I need to bring snow to Burgess today."

"You're going to Burgess?" Flee jumped, beyond excited to see what had become of her home town.

"Yup. You want to come?"

"Yes! Yes! Please, Mom? Please?"

I laughed. "Of course, dear. I don't see any reason not to." Truthfully, I was interested to see how our town had changed as well.

"Well then, let's go!" Jack pulled out a glass ball with intricate designs painted onto it.

I gasped along with Flee. "That looks exactly like the orb that brought us here!" I exclaimed, pointing at the ball in Jack's hand.

"Oh, so that's how you got here! These are North's. They open a portal to any place in the world. You just have to say the name of the location and then throw it. I didn't know they could allow time travel, though," Jack seemed to shrug it off though, too happy that we were here to care about how it had happened at the moment.

He whispered "Burgess" to the orb and threw it onto the ground, shattering it. I watched in amazement as a swirl of colors appeared over the spot where he threw the glass ball.

"Normally, I just fly where I need to go, but I'm afraid you would freeze to death if we went outside here," Jack explained.

I nodded, and watched as he picked up Flee and walked toward the swirling colors. I walked slowly to follow, slightly wary of being pulled through the portal once again.

"Alright, little lady. You ready?" Jack asked, looking down at his sister.

Flee nodded confidently, a huge smile spreading over her face. Jack reached back and took my hand, and all together we walked into the void.

Xxxx

Flee's PoV:

Once again, when we came out of the portal I was hit with a wave of dizziness. If Jack hadn't been holding me, I know I would have fallen over. Mom looked like she was struggling to stand, and if Jack hadn't been holding onto her as well, she probably would have fallen over too.

Jack laughed, and said, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

A large part of me hoped that I wouldn't use one of those things enough to get used to it. Once I had regained my senses, Jack set me down and grabbed a handful of snow, forming it into a perfect snowball. He then gently blew on it, and I watched, transfixed, as the snow gained a slight blue glow. He then threw the snowball with perfect aim and hit a boy around my age in the back of the head who had been playing in a group of other kids that I hadn't noticed.

The boy quickly recovered from the snowball and looked around for the culprit. When he looked toward us, his face lit up as a grin overtook his face. The next thing I knew, Jack was being tackled to the ground as the boy ran into his arms.

"Jack! I missed you!" the strange boy exclaimed as Jack laughed, hugging him back.

"Hey, Jamie, I missed you too. How have you been?"

Still sitting on Jack, the boy began to excitedly describe what had happened to him that week.

"And then I got an A on my geography test!" Jack finally managed to stand, bringing the boy up with him, looking just as happy to hear what was being said as the boy was to say it.

"Great job, I told you you could do it!" Jack set down the hyper child as the rest of the group ran over to greet my brother.

After many excited hello's and exclamations that Jack had been missed, Jack finally pulled me and Mom next to him and introduced us. The children were amazed at the end of the tale, and instantly started asking us questions.

"Was Jack as fun when he was a human as he is now?"

"What did he look like? Did he look like you?

"Did he wear shoes?

These few questions were the only ones I was able to decipher from the chaos surrounding me. I unconsciously pressed closer to my brother, silently asking him to protect me from the barrage of questions. Jack seemed to understand, as he picked me up and sat me on his shoulders, saying,

"Guys, slow down. They just got here. I can barely understand what you're saying, and I'm around Tooth all the time."

That drew several giggles out of the children as they finally stopped their questions, as well as a few apologies.

I looked down at Jack, and I instantly recognized the look on his face. It was the look he got whenever he was about to tell a story, or when he was about to pull a prank on someone.

"So, who wants to have some fun?"

 **Over three thousand words! Whoo! That is the longest chapter I have written so far, and hopefully there will be longer ones coming. I hope you all enjoyed this. As usual, please no cursing in the comments and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. God bless!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I'm sorry this has taken so long, but I've had a lot going on. First of all, I got a boyfriend! Woohoo! He's pretty dang amazing, and I'm super happy with him! We just had our first anniversary, which is crazy. It feels like he just asked me out yesterday. So, I've been spending quite a bit of time with him. I've also had school work on top of that, as well as all the random little things that pop up in life, so things have been pretty crazy. Anyway, I decided to just get this story done and post it close together, now that I've got time. So be expecting another chapter here in the next few days. Hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.**

Flee's PoV:

I instantly felt a mix of excitement and fear for what Jack was planning. If there's one thing I know about Jack, it's that he always goes all out when it comes to having fun. His stories are always insane and magical. His games are complex but exciting. And his pranks are beyond compare. The children surrounding us gave a loud cheer, the look in their eyes showing that they knew that this would be nothing short of incredible.

"Snowball fight! Every man for himself! You get hit, you go to prison!" Jack shouted, pointing to a snow-covered tree in one of the kids' yard. "You can only get out of prison if you are granted pardon from the fairy-princess Sophie! In order to be granted pardon from her, you must complete a task that she gives you while still in the prison yard! Got it?"

There was a chorus of "yeses" and the game began. Jack immediately began creating snowballs out of thin air, using some of them to pelt the kids. Several immediately headed to the prison, being given tasks by the young blonde girl with fake wings. Some had to run around with her on their backs, and others had to do things like doing silly dances to get out. Soon enough they were all back I the game, and others were going into prison. I ran and threw snowballs at the kids, hitting nearly everyone I aimed for. Suddenly I was being pulled up into the air, flying over the children. I let out a scream, and I felt Jack laugh, his chest vibrating with each sound of joy. I instantly felt a rush of security and delight, knowing my big brother would never let me fall.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Catherine's PoV

I watched the children play until the sun was dipping down on the horizon and the little ones were called home for dinner. Flee was breathing hard and shivering, but I hadn't seen her smile like that since that fateful day at the lake. Jack scooped her up and settled get on his shoulders, waving goodbye to the departing children. Once they were all safely in their homes, Jack turned to me with a gentle smile on his face.

"Ready to go?" He asked, sounding tired but content.

"Back to the North Pole?" I suddenly felt nauseous at the thought of using a snow globe again, and by the looks of it, Flee did too.

Jack must have noticed, because he let out a light laugh and replied, "Not if you don't want to. I've got a place here in Burgess where we could stay."

I smiled, allowing him to lead the way to his "place." We walked through the town, and I marveled at how much it had changed. The houses were no longer made of logs, and they were much bigger. They had a friendly glow to them, a light much brighter than candles could provide.

When I had seen my fill of the new houses, I focused my eyes on my son. I watched as he waved to kids on the street and explained things about the modern world to Flee, patiently answering all of her questions. He had a joyous sparkle in his eyes, but I could also see an underlying sadness in them as well. I wondered what had made my baby so sad, my heart aching for him, and resolved to ask him about it once Flee was asleep.

We soon came to the lake, and Flee stiffened. Jack noticed and quickly changed course so that he was walking on the bank rather than across the ice. This allowed Flee to relax a little, but I knew she would not be completely calm until we got away from that cursed body of water.

We walked around the edge of the lake, Jack steering clear of the water, and were led to a small cave opening I hadn't noticed until it was pointed out to me. We crawled through and came into a small cave. There was a shelf against one wall, lined with ice sculptures. In the center of the stone room was a little table, which also held a few ice sculptures, one of which looked to be still in progress. There were also pieces of parchment eighth what looked like snowflakes drawn on them stacked on the table. In the far corner, there was a large pile of pillows and blankets, reminding me of a bird's nest.

Jack set Flee down and walked to a box that I had not noticed before. It was made completely of ice, perfect for keeping food fresh. He pulled out since fruits and vegetables, and began making a salad.

"Would you like me to clear off the table while you do that?" I offered, wanting to help my son as much as I could.

"Sure, could you just set that stuff on the middle shelf, please?" Jack replied while cutting lettuce.

I did as asked and soon enough the food was ready. Jack poured some milk into drinking glasses and we sat around the table to eat.

As we ate I listened to Jack make up stories for Flee, tales of adventure and victory over the boogeyman. Soon Flee was yawning, and Jack carried her to the nest of blankets. I walked over and helped him tuck the blankets around her. Once she was settled and asleep, I took Jack's hand and led him to the opening of the cave. We squeezed through and stepped into the cold winter air. As soon as Jack was through, I pulled him into a hug, holding him close. He stiffened for a moment, surprised, them wrapped his arms around me.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I asked, running my hand through his hair.

He pulled back enough to look at me, confusion and a small hint of fear on his face.

"Why do you think somethings wrong?"

I looked into his eyes, a small smile on my face. "I'm your mother, I can tell when you're sad."

At that, his face crumpled, and he buried his face in my neck. I held him tighter, continuing to stroke his hair. He took in a shuddering breath, and I felt the collar of my dress become damp.

"Shh, it's alright, baby. It's alright. You can tell me." I continued to whisper sweet nothings in his ear as he cried, finally allowing himself to be comforted rather than giving comfort.

After several minutes of this, he finally spoke, "I missed you so much, and I never thought I would get to see you again. And I feel awful for forgetting you. What kind of person forgets their own family?"

I pulled back, and he let out a quiet, desperate whine. I wondered absently how long it had been since he had been hugged or comforted, but I pushed that question away for another time. He looked up at me with red rimmed, wet eyes, and I gently wiped away a stray tear.

"Sweetheart, you are an amazing person. You losing your memories was not your fault, and you shouldn't blame yourself for that. What you did for Flee, not many others would do. You are a hero, and a true Guardian. I couldn't be more proud of you. I love you very, very much."

A soft smile crossed his face through the tears, and he gave a small laugh. "Thank you, mama. I love you too." He said, and buried his face back in my neck.

We stood there for what seemed like an eternity and like no time at all, wrapped in each other's arms. I gently rocked him back and forth, rubbing his back and running my fingers through his snow white hair. Eventually his tears subsided, and we stood in peaceful silence.

Finally, he pulled back and suggested we go to bed. We squeezed back through the opening to the cave, Flee still sleeping soundly. I led Jack to the bed and laid down next to him, pulling him close. He gave a soft sigh, and for the first time in a year, everything was right with the world.

 **Hope you guys enjoyed that! I felt like Catherine really needed some more time in the spotlight, and Jack needed some good, fluffy bonding time with his mom. As usual, please no cursing in the comments, and constructive criticism is welcome! Merry Christmas, and God bless!**


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